


Paint the whole world blue

by theseatheseatheopensea



Category: Aubrey-Maturin Series - Patrick O'Brian
Genre: Friendship/Love, Gen, M/M, Seaside, Turtles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 04:11:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16422158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theseatheseatheopensea/pseuds/theseatheseatheopensea
Summary: A short story about sea turtles, friendship and almost-silent understanding.





	Paint the whole world blue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SenyoretaLaliot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SenyoretaLaliot/gifts).



> There are several A-M WIPs in my drafts file that have mocked and eluded me for months and years, and yet this one basically wrote itself in one night. So it's probably full of mistakes, but I still count it as a victory over writer's block.
> 
> I thank [SenyoretaLaliot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SenyoretaLaliot/) with all my heart, for amazing writing and conversation about tortoises and turtles.
> 
> Speaking of turtles, the ones I refer to in this fic are [the leatherback sea turtles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leatherback_sea_turtle). I took some creative liberties with them, but hopefully that's not enough to make this unreadable!
> 
> I couldn't resist from quoting E&TB's song in the title and before the opening lines, because it's one of my favourites, and also because it happens to include the charming lines: _"Seven seas / Swimming them so well / Glad to see / My face among them / Kissing the tortoise shell."_ Sorry not sorry.
> 
> Lastly, I tried to keep affectionate nicknames to a minimum, and failed spectacularly. Also, sorry not sorry.

Stab a sorry heart  
With your favourite finger  
Paint the whole world blue  
And stop your tears from stinging

\- [Seven seas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DxPC6ATUqQ) (Echo and the Bunnymen).

*

It's a quiet late afternoon, quite fine for shore leave. The sea is calm, painting the horizon blue, in such a way that it can almost heal a troubled man's heart. There are birds in the sky, fruits in the trees, and all seems well and good for the men of the _Sophie_ to stretch their legs a bit and wander about for a while.

But is there only one right way to wander? While Captain Aubrey is calmly standing near the shore, looking out at the sea and most probably thinking about that night's upcoming toasted cheese and music, Doctor Maturin is walking about all around, stopping here and there to gather new flora and fauna, be it in his notebook, in his pockets, or directly in his arms.

Suddenly, he stops. Right by the seaside, what looks like hundreds, no, thousands of small turtles are racing towards the sea. The doctor follows them slowly, his eyes shining with that private, affectionate look that he mostly saves for all wildlife, great and small.

"Look at them. Just look at them, Jack," he says in a low voice, full of awe. He walks even closer, carefully avoiding scaring or crushing any of them. "Pray, be careful, though! Please, if you can manage it?"

Jack approaches Stephen, as delicately as he can, and looks at his friend's newest discovery and the excitement in his eyes. "My word, I've never seen anything like it! Ha! You will think me a fool for this, but to my eye, they look like little pieces of leather! How very curious!"

"Nonsense, my dear, you are quite right! "Leather turtle" is indeed one of the names that this species is known as. However, it is scientifically named _testudo coriacea_." He keeps on talking, half to Jack and half to himself, as is his way. "Why, testudinology is a fascinating subject, is it not? But oh! My dear, I can't possibly refrain from telling you this-- it is also referred to as "lute turtle" sometimes, because of these lines in its shell. See? Here, have a closer look," he says as he tenderly picks one up, to show Jack. "I think that a fine man of music as yourself might appreciate this fact."

"How wonderful, turtles with strings!" Jack says with a smile. "Musical turtles, if you will, ha ha!" He laughs a bit at his own attempt at a joke, but becomes serious again at seeing that look of quiet devotion that natural life always paints Stephen's face with.

With one last fond look, Stephen puts the little turtle back down on the sand. He goes silent, perhaps to compensate for yet another one of his breathless and heartfelt odes to nature. He and Jack stand side by side by the sea, comfortably watching the turtle crawling back towards the sea, in a curious pilgrimage of sorts.

Jack doesn't necessarily believe in coincidences, but this one is just too precious to ignore. "Musical turtles," he says again, but quietly this time. "You know, Stephen, it seems quite fitting that we should both find them here today, does it not? The way I see it, both of us have hard shells of our own." He can't help from smiling. "And strings, of course."

"Of course! You have rarely spoken truer words before, my joy." Stephen's look of affection moves from the turtles up to Jack's face, and he smiles back. He then softly wipes his eyes with his cravat, possibly to rid them of sweat and sea salt, but Jack thinks that he knows better. Whenever that rare look is fixed upon himself, he knows that this is yet another time when they understand each other perfectly. The knowledge of it always touches his heart, and his eyes as well, if he is honest. So, he can certainly understand a little show of emotion. How could he not? It's so wonderful and so very rare, to know someone so completely, sometimes without words, but always with a bit of natural music.


End file.
